The Meanings of Emotions
by KuraiArcoiris
Summary: Ren left for America, leaving Yashiro behind to watch over Kyoko. And that's how the whole problem started... Drabbles
1. Left Alone to Deal

_Affection_

Yashiro had told Ren over and over again that Adam-san was a daimane, a substitute, no matter what the president said. Right now Yashiro did not have enough knowledge of the American version of the show biz industry or of the English language. But it would take him a year tops to learn. Yashiro did not want to let his "hopeless little brother" out of sight for longer than necessary.

_Anger_

Ren smiled that gentlemanly-like smile when Kyoko mentioned that the president had started to look for a manager for her, a _male_ manager to protect her from her increasingly numerous fans. Though both Kyoko and Yashiro cringed at the sight, only Yashiro caught the subtle but unquestionable command to apply and _take_ the post post-haste.

_Annoyance_

Kyoko wailed and apologized and generally tried to make Yashiro quit being her manager. She insisted that he should only be preparing himself for Ren. Every subtle and even obvious hint that Ren would kill Yashiro if the brunette man even thought of removing himself from the position as her manager flew right over her head.

_Angst_

Every time schedules would allow, Yashiro would call and report to Ren about Kyoko and would then proceed to grill the tall actor on how his own work was progressing. The calls became less and less frequent as the weeks went by, and Yashiro could not help but notice that Ren never complained about anything about being overseas, not even the daimane. Not that Yashiro spent time worrying about how much Ren really needed him, what with the president to report in on Kyoko and her continual obliviousness to all things romantic. Really, Yashiro never entertained these thoughts. Ren needed him, and that was that.

_Apathy_

Even though her acting skills were slightly less awe-inspiring than Ren's, Yashiro could not help but feel more frequently moved by watching Kyoko's scenes than he ever had watching Ren's. Even if some of the scenes moved him to terror, at least they moved him. But perhaps he was more immune to Ren's characters because he was neither female nor an actor. Either way, watching Kyoko was never boring.

_Anxiety_

After the first few weeks of begging Yashiro-san to leave her with a less capable manager so he could focus on Tsuruga-san, Kyoko grew to see why her respected sempai relied on the man so much. But once she caught him watching her secretly as she practiced her lines and somehow made him confess that he had often done the same to Tsuruga-san, she wondered how Tsuruga-san insisted on practicing alone when he had Yashiro-san. Yashiro-san made a wonderful audience. He knew little to nothing about acting, but that very fact made him ideal. The general audience didn't know a lot about acting either, and so Yashiro-san made the perfect test subject. So Kyoko made it her secret goal to act in a way that would make Yashiro-san react, especially on the days Tsuruga-san did not call. Even if she was worried about Tsuruga-san, she could not be half as worried as Yashiro-san was.

_Awe_

The first time a really persistent mob of fans tried to attack Kyoko, they found an insurmountable obstacle in the form of a man with an aura that made them freeze in their tracks. Kyoko had seen the aura once before, from afar, but seeing it up close made her wonder a bit more about Yashiro-san. The aura was not crippling like the Emperor of the Night's aura or even terror-filling like her own grudge Kyokos. No, Yashiro-san's aura was like a champion fighter or a great King who will not be disobeyed. She begged Yashiro-san to teach her how to do it, but he just shook his head and told her that when he left her to go to Ren, that then he _might _teach some of it to her.

_Contempt_

When Sho first approached Kyoko with Yashiro by her side, the rock star was not prepared for the bespectacled man to react with complete and utter indifference. The stupid manager only glanced at Sho, smiled, introduced himself, and then ushered Kyoko to her next job, all before Sho could get a word in. The fact that the manager did the same thing the second time made the stupid manager number two on Sho's most hated list.

_Curiosity_

About the fifteenth time Yashiro saw the blue stone, he finally asked what it was. He almost regretted the question as she spent a lot of time gushing about Corn. He worried about Ren's new and unexpected rival, and part of him couldn't help but be a little jealous of this someone, who obviously wasn't a real fairy prince. This Corn had known Kyoko when she was little and even more innocent than she was now.

_Depression_

Kyoko had not realized how much she relied upon Tsuruga-san until he had left. And Corn didn't cut it anymore. A stone could not replace a human being. So when she sat rocking back and forth and felt a warm hand, she had looked up and almost expected to see Tsuruga-san for some odd reason. Upon seeing Yashiro-san, she felt an unexplainable disappointment. However the disappointment dissipated when he asked about Corn.

_Desire_

Lory was a certifiably insane genius. Yashiro had often thought so, but he had even more proof after becoming Kyoko's manager. The strange Love Me assignments that Lory pushed on Kyoko and her cohorts were scarily purposeful despite their undeniable ridiculousness. So when Lory set up a private meeting with Yashiro, the manager wasn't surprised. But the president's simple but meaningful request caught Yashiro off-guard.

"Take care of her."

"O-of course," answered Yashiro. "Ren already asked, though you know Ren. He didn't say it so blatantly."

"I figured as much," said the President. "But she needs to be watched for herself, not for him."

"Is something wrong, President?"

"That girl needs more people on her side, don't you think Yashiro-san?"

"Yes. And I am on her side. I'm her manager."

"So," said the president, and Yashiro could not help but think the words meant something, "take care of her."

_Despair_

For all of one second, Yashiro caught himself looking a moment too long at Kyoko, stepping out in a beautiful white wedding dress. A shudder at the thought of what Ren would do if Yashiro stared a moment longer made the manager turned away. He refused to be sucked in by Kyoko's beauty. He knew better than most the punishment for that.

_Disappointment_

When Ren had finally gotten the offer to go to the states, Lory had wanted to congratulate and strangle his oldest project. The stupid boy had gone without saying anything of worth to the girl and had even left his manager in charge of her. True, the boy couldn't have chosen better hands, but surely that idiot realized that two people would suffer in his absence. And the president would help his number one Love Me member with or without Ren's help.

_Disgust_

The dark brown eyes glared fixedly, frustratingly into Yashiro's hazel. The dark brown eyes turned and looked away, narrowed and darker still. Lips formed words that felt like blows. The emptiness in Yashiro's chest filled with agonizing guilt. With a gasp, Yashiro felt his eyes fly open. He stared at his bedroom wall and clutched his covers. Swinging himself to sitting position several minutes later, he had almost convinced himself that the look in Ren's eyes had been all part of an impossible nightmare. For what reason could Ren ever have to direct such a look at his ever-faithful manager?

_Ecstasy_

Five months of searching, two weeks of bargaining, and fifteen favors used, Yashiro had managed to get Kyoko a subtle, surprise birthday present. Sure, it held none of the class of Ren's gift (how the man got Kyoko to take that music box, Yashiro did not even want to know) and technically he couldn't call it a birthday gift at all, but she liked it and that was what mattered. The dance she was doing as she held the script that highlighted her new role as the princess of a dying land proved her joy, even if it was only for a short music video. Of course, he worried a bit when she threw her arms around him and then, realizing what she had done, threw herself into a dogeza. He was quick to assure her that he didn't mind the contact and pushed the fact he might have liked it to the deepest, darkest corner of his mind.

_Empathy_

Kanae found a strange sort of ally in Yashiro. Within six months of the man being Kyoko's manager, he began to be dragged along on Kyoko and Kanae's "outings." Somewhere along the way the poor man had been chosen as Kyoko's best male friend, not that he realized it yet. Kanae might have been jealous if she hadn't felt for the man as he succumbed to Kyoko's puppy dog eyes, and as embarrassing as these outings were for Kanae, they had to be ten times worse for poor Yashiro-san. Even if he was a spy for Tsuruga-san, which had been Kanae's first suspicion when Yashiro had begun joining them, the poor man did not deserve to be dragged into Kyoko's fantasies on friendship. However, he bore it all fairly well in Kanae's opinion.

_Envy_

Maria did not like Yashiro-san. He had spent so much time with Ren. And now he spent a lot of time with Onee-san too. So he was a great manager and had gotten Onee-san her dream role as a princess. So what? He wasn't so great. But…he made Onee-san happy, like he used to Ren, so she'll let him be for now.

_Embarrassment_

"You should call him Yukihito."

Both Kyoko and Yashiro froze and then immediately snapped towards the sound of the voice. Maria sat drinking her ice cream soda unconcerned by their glances.

"W-why w-would I do that, Maria?" asked Kyoko.

"He calls you Kyoko so it's only fair."

"B-but Yashiro-san calls me that because it's my stage name Maria. Right, Yashiro-san?"

"W-well, I-I never thought about it," said Yashiro, putting on a shaky smile. "I mean, Ren called you Mogami-san, but I knew you as Kyoko, not Mogami Kyoko so…well, I called you that…If it's too informal and address, I could call you Mogami-chan if you prefer."

"No," said Kyoko in her scarily determined way. "You are my manager and my friend. Besides, you have to call me Kyoko because it's my stage name."

"Right," said Yashiro, returning to his scheduling agenda for Kyoko.

"It's still only fair you call him Yukihito," said Maria flatly. "Since he's your manager and friend. He shouldn't need a formal address."

"I-I c-couldn't—"

"We are friends," said Yashiro. He kept his eyes focused on the agenda and refused to wonder why he was extending the offer. "You can call me Yukihito."

"O-okay," she said, her face bright red. She added in a whisper, "Yukihito-san."

_Euphoria_

She liked simple things. Make up, fairy tales, and royalty would all earn her awe without any effort. But only a few people could touch her heart positively and completely. The shortest phone call from Ren left her beaming, a half-baked compliment from Kotonami could send her through the clouds, and a hug from Maria could make her smile for the rest of the day. Yashiro had no idea when exactly he had joined her short list, but he had. He knew it when she nearly danced when he agreed to join her, Maria, Kotonami, and Chiori that weekend at the amusement park.

_Fear_

Kyoko sat stiffly across from her manager and friend. Something was wrong with him. He had barely said anything, and his smiles were really fake, even for a non-actor. When she asked him what was wrong, he had smiled, still very fakely, and said nothing. But she pushed and prodded, and finally he had stopped replying. Now he just sat mechanically eating with a blank face. She looked at the floor feeling absolutely useless. Suddenly she felt a slight touch at her elbow. A paper lay half over the edge of the table. He was not looking at her. She looked at the paper and read it.

"She's wrong," said Kyoko angrily, her grudge Kyokos almost coming to the surface.

"She's a professional, Kyoko."

"But she's wrong!" yelled Kyoko, standing up and pushing her chair back. "You're a great manager and super-duper smart! She has to be wrong!"

"Kyoko," he said with a smile that beamed sadness, "that does not mean I can learn English."

"Yes, it does! Yukihito-san can do anything he puts his mind too! And I'll help too. I'm going to take this class with you."

"Your schedule's already full—" started he.

"I need to learn English because I'm going to be as great an actor as Tsuruga-san. And when I go to America I'm taking Yukihito-san with me!"

Kyoko watched as Yukihito-san's face stretched in surprise then settled in to a true blue smile.

_Frustration_

Yashiro needed Kyoko to stop. She didn't know what she was doing, smiling like that at her co-stars. In no time, she would "kill" as many costars as Ren, if not more. The only difference is that she would be oblivious to her effect. And all these "kills" made his work much harder. Reporting them to Ren was Yashiro's only reward, and even that was less and less rewarding as time went on.

_Gratitude_

Okami smiled brightly as Taisho scowled. While the young man who had brought Kyoko shuffled under the intense gaze of her husband, Okami set out the green tea. The man stuttered out an explanation about Kyoko overworking herself and him having to bring the girl home. Taisho's glare became slightly less fierce. Okami got between her husband and the young man and did what her husband could not bring himself to do and thanked the young man. He tried to brush it off and say he was only doing his job as her manager, but he made sure, despite the continually heavy presence of Taisho, that Kyoko was settled comfortably before leaving. Kyoko had such good friends.

_Grief_

Two months. Too much time had passed since the president had given her a Love Me assignment. So when she saw the envelope in her locker, she immediately knew it spelled trouble. She opened it and stared at it, her eyes growing larger and larger. Putting on her most untroubled character, she skipped out of the locker room to meet Yukihito-san, but he noticed her distress anyway. When he scooped up the letter that fell from her pocket, Kyoko dove to try to stop him from reading it, but Yukihito-san's nearly photographic memory made her efforts useless. He cleared his throat and almost did not blush as he deliberately tapped his cheek. Kyoko beamed and thanked God for sending her such a genius manager. She stood on her tiptoes and put her lips to his cheeks, thinking of him as her dear friend. She still felt an unholy heat on her cheeks and missed the redness on her manager's.

_Guilt_

Usually when Ren did not call for three weeks, Yashiro made it a point to call Ren several times until the actor either picked up the phone or called Yashiro back. But after the president's outrageous Love Me assignment, Yashiro had broken five phones _on purpose_. Honestly, Ren knew the president. He would expect that the strange man to order Kyoko to kiss a member of the opposite sex that was her senior by no older than 8 years. And Yashiro had done the actor a favor, by convincing Kyoko that kissing her manager on the cheek counted. The president agreed, which Yashiro had to admit worried him more than the man's vehement refusal would have. Ren would find out sooner or later, and Yashiro wondered how many more phones he could break before the president put his foot down. Hopefully at least one more thought Yashiro as he saw the remnants of his phone in his ungloved hand.

_Happiness_

When she saw the caller ID, Kyoko snapped open her phone. She smiled brightly as the voice on the other side of the phone greeted her, and she could not help but chirp a cheerful greeting back. Before he could say anything else, Kyoko gushed out thanks for leaving Yukihito-san as her manager and recounted his amazingly sly solution to the president's order and how the president had to accept it. She boasted about how Yukihito-san had given her a punctuality record that rivaled Ren's now and how even though he struggled, the manager put forth his 210 percent into learning English. She even had the guts to say that they would join Ren in America, though she did not dare think it would be soon. She was surprised that when she finished her excited gushing she heard only silence. She had thought Ren would agree with her about how amazing Yukihito-san was, since the man had been Ren's manager first. She checked the phone. The minutes were still being counted, so he had not hung up on her. Maybe they had a bad connection? But his voice soon came from the receiver, and Kyoko put it to her ear. She immediately pulled it away from her ear, since she could feel the sparkles of a gentlemanly like smile from the other side of the phone. The phone call ended soon after, and Kyoko could only wonder what had made her respected sempai mad.

_Hatred_

Upon the news of Ren visiting Japan, Yashiro wondered if he could take his normally ignored vacation days. But Kyoko's schedule was full, and the thought of Kyoko getting a daimane made a very heavy feeling sink into Yashiro. He did however coordinate her schedule so that any chance or planned meetings between her and Ren happened with him on the opposite end of the building. Kyoko misunderstood his intention of avoiding Ren, thinking it might have something to do with Adam-san and did all she could to help. That is until she realized that Ren did not bring his American manager with him on his "vacation," so Yukihito-san didn't need to avoid Ren. And that is how Yashiro found himself face to face with the Demon Lord and wishing he had taken those vacation days after all.

_Hope_

Lory scoffed.

"You weren't here. He was. Though I doubt our Kyoko feels anything towards Yashiro-san but friendship, and he probably did it for your benefit. So next time, please do not scare my employees witless for no reason."

"I know," said Ren, his forehead leaning against his hands. "But he didn't answer my calls, no matter how often I tried. So I wasn't unreasonably worried."

"Seeing how you reacted, it's easy to understand his hesitation," said Lory.

"Yes, it is. But that coupled with her reaction over the phone made me take the first plane over here."

"What reaction?"

"When I called her, she spent fifteen minutes gushing about Yashiro. It was difficult not to jump to conclusions."

"Oh," said the president. He brought up his glass of wine to hide his smirk, but the boy knew him too well.

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing," said Lory, not bothering to hide his smirk this time. One way or another, his number one Love Me member would experience love. "Why don't you hurry back to America? You are not so known over there that you can come gallivanting back here and ignore your work, and I won't let you. Besides, the quicker you reveal yourself to be Hizuri Kuon, the more it will be to your advantage. The later it is, the more likely she won't be paying attention you know. She might be distracted by something else."


	2. Getting to Know

_Horror_

He survived Ren's visit. Yashiro was sure the president had something to do with his survival. And so when he once again found himself in the President's office, he had resolved to thank the meddling man.

"You've got five more months," said the president before Yashiro could utter more than a greeting.

"Five months? For what, president?" asked Yashiro, his mind spinning with the possibility of being reassigned to Ren. He wondered if there was any way to up Kyoko's fame to the point of her debuting in America in five months. He did not want to leave her behind, and he could and would find a way to balance both stars' schedules. And with Kyoko, five months was not an impossible amount of time to gain acclaim…

"Ren will finish his American jobs in five months and return here."

"What?" exclaimed Yashiro. "He's coming back? Is he not selling well? Is someone harassing him? Did the stupid daimane do something to compromise him?"

"No. He's selling well, no one would harass him and live to tell the tale, and Adam-san is more than a capable manager," said Lory flatly. Yashiro deflated a little at the last words but perked back up in curiosity.

"Then why is he coming back?"

"Because he found out he left something here he needed to take with him to be truly satisfied. And men in love do extreme things."

"Oh, Kyoko." The words came out with less enthusiasm than they would have months earlier. For some reason, teasing Ren about Kyoko had lost its interest for Yashiro. "So I should prepare to be reassigned to Ren's manager in five months."

"No," said Lory, his gaze intense upon Yashiro. "You have five months to _take care_ of Mogami-san, understood?"

Yashiro nodded shakily. The words dug into him and made his mind swirl in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine. His heart squeezed and pounded terribly, and for the life of him he had no idea why.

_Hostility_

"I don't understand, Moko. He was the Demon Lord! What could Yukihito-san have done to make him so angry?"

Kanae sipped her soda and tried to think of the best way to word her answer. She didn't think her friend would believe the conclusion Kanae had come to. Part of her wondered if she should even try to explain it to this love-oblivious girl. Nope, Kyoko wouldn't get it.

"Perhaps Yashiro kept something for Tsuruga-san that the man had not noticed until now that he had left here and Tsuruga-san came back to retrieve it. Honestly, though, the man shouldn't come back chasing things he left behind, especially if Yashiro is taking better care of it than he was."

"Eh? Moko…could you know why Tsuruga was mad at Yukihito-san?"

"No," said Kanae in her most firm lying voice and proceeded to direct her conversation to more safe areas like work, though her mind was already on ways she could aid the poor frightened manager out. If it was a choice between him and Tsuruga, she would choose the dependable manager. He was safer for her friend's heart.

_Hysteria_

She walked out as her newest character, a police woman who had gone undercover to catch her prey, one of the most wanted white collar criminals. His eyes stuck to the floating figure, and suddenly a giggle escaped him. He quickly covered his mouth and turned away. Laughter shook his whole body, so much so that a crew member came and asked him if he was okay. He waved an arm to show he was before straightening and looking back at the set. Was that what the president had hinted at? Surely the president did not want Yashiro to die, as efficient managers who could put up with Kyoko's mood swings were few and hard to find. No matter what his heart did every time he saw her, he could not fall in love with Kyoko. For the sake of Ren's heart and his own…

_Interest_

For the last few minutes, her eyes had flittered between him and the car window. He had had to learn to drive as her manager; driving came as second nature to him now. So he could spare half his thoughts to analyze the girl beside him.

"Is something wrong, Kyoko?"

"N-no, i-it's just…I don't know a lot about Yukihito-san, b-but you know a lot about me. A-and I n-never t-thought about it…But Moko said…"

"It's alright," said Yashiro, keeping his eyes on the road and desperately ignoring the light feeling in his chest. "You can ask whatever you want now."

_Jealousy_

"Did you see last night? Tsuruga Ren! He's really…"

Yashiro moved out of the hearing range and leaned against the wall. Tsuruga Ren, the actor he had managed for five years, had a secret identity that Yashiro had never even guessed at, that Ren had never even hinted of. Never, not once in all five years had Ren even thought of mentioning Hizuri Kuon.

"Yukihito-san," said a soft voice. Yashiro lifted his head and did not even try to smile. She would see right through it anyway. Her eyes were ridiculously large and stretched with worry. In spite of himself, he recalled the way they had shone with wonder at seeing the beautiful Hizuri Kuon on screen, even before he had revealed himself as Tsuruga Ren, and the quiet whisper of "_Corn." _His chest tightened and became heavy though his brain insisted it should alight with happiness for his friend. Ren had more claim to Kyoko than Yashiro had previously thought.

"It's okay."

The soft words snapped Yashiro out of his heavy thoughts, and he noticed she had move to lean against the wall beside him.

"He didn't tell me either. I know I'm a kohai and everything, but he could have at least told me he was Corn. I thought Corn was a fairy prince, so I wouldn't have known he was sensei's son. And he was so mean to me too…nothing like Corn. Maybe he really isn't Corn. Maybe Corn's really a fairy and is back in fairy world no matter what Tsuruga-san says—"

"He called you?" asked Yashiro, trying to keep his tone light.

"Yes. He said to watch the Tonight Show if I wanted to know what happened to Corn. He could have just told me. And why did he have to do it like that, and then he doesn't even tell anyone…" Her cheeks puffed and reddened as the words continued as mutterings. As Yashiro tried to dredge up some defense for his friend, he suddenly found he couldn't. He could only lean against the wall and watch the girl beside him.

_Loathing_

"I want something I shouldn't want."

The words were dragged out of Yashiro's mouth thanks to Kyoko's relentless quest to find out what was wrong with her manager and best male friend. Now she looked at him with curious eyes and a puzzled air. Yashiro had to look away so as to stop a flood of unwanted thoughts and replace them with better ones. He supported Ren. Ren was better for her. Ren had left her in his care to guard her, nothing else. Yashiro would help Ren in the actor's quest to gain Kyoko's heart. Kyoko—

"Is it illegal?"

Yashiro turned cautiously to look at the girl. She looked determined now.

"No," he answered. She was marriageable age in any country now.

"Is it bad for you?"

"U-um…," he started. She herself wasn't but… "It's bad for a friend."

"Bad for a friend. Why?"

"My friend wants it too."

"Then why doesn't he get one of his own?"

"It's one of a kind."

"Oh…" she said. He watched her out of the corner of his eyes despite his brain's constant mutterings. The crease in her forehead deepened and her hands began to twitch and move as her thoughts intensified. Yashiro watched in fascination and praying that the president wouldn't keep them waiting much longer. "Yukihito-san."

"Hm?" he said. The quiet whisper had surprised him.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes almost twice as wide as before.

"U-um…w-well…," he stuttered, "I-I can't tell you that, Kyoko."

"Oh," she said, her eyes darkening, "I guess I shouldn't be asking…"

"No, no. It's okay, for you to ask, Kyoko. It's just…" The words stuck in his throat as he felt the dark miasma deepening into existence. "M-my friend wouldn't appreciate it! H-he might not want me to reveal so much about him to you, I mean, to anyone. So I can't tell you even if I wanted too!"

"You worry a lot about your friend," said Kyoko after enough of the miasma had dissipated.

"Well, he's a person that's easy to worry about. And not getting this…unique something; it might break his heart beyond repair."

"Yukihito-san's such a nice person for worrying about his friend like that," said Kyoko. The smile almost proved too much for Yashiro. He had to look away. "But Yukihito-san, what about your heart?"

"My heart's too selfish to even think of wanting this thing," said Yashiro, focusing on a spot on the wall. "It will still work if he gets it."

"So you're not even going to try to get it?" The girl's tone yanked Yashiro's gaze back on her. She had stood up and taken what he had dubbed her scolding stance. "That's not fair! You have as much right to get it as your friend! If he gets it, that's fine, but you have to try and at least fight for it! And I'll cheer you on! 'Cause whoever this friend is, he already has Yukihito-san as a friend. If he asks God for anything else, he's getting greedy! So you got to promise me that you're going to try! I'm your friend too, even if it's only because you're my manager, and so you have to do what I want too! Go after this unique something with all your heart!"

Yashiro looked up at her determined face and his heart won the war with his mind. He coughed to hide his chuckle, smiled up at her, and nodded firmly.

_Love_

"L-love m-me?"

Yukihito-san nodded, the sincere, silly smile on his face. He could have been joking except for his eyes and the redness on his cheeks.

"Y-Yukihito-san l-l-l-l-l…._me_?" she squeaked, her mouth refusing to form _that_ word. He nodded again. Kyoko panicked. "Yukihito-san can't l-l-l-l-l-l-like me! I'm a plain girl with no sex appeal!"

"You're not. And even if you were, I would probably still love you." The redness spread from his cheeks to the rest of his face, and he looked away. He added in a whisper, almost unwillingly, "Because you're Kyoko…"

She stared at him, willing him to turn and say he was joking or that the president made him do it to test her ability to love. His blush intensified. His eyes closed. But he didn't turn. Why didn't he turn? Why didn't her second best friend (if she called him anything else, such as simply "best friend," Moko wouldn't talk to her for a week and what would Moko think about this?), why didn't he turn around?

A sigh caused her thoughts to brake sharply. His hazel eyes were on hers, and she felt suffocated.

"You don't have to worry," he said, pushing his glasses up and trying to get back into his manager mode. "I know you're the number one Love Me member. I don't expect you to love me back, but I had to tell you. You can forget it if you want. I will still be your second best friend, right?"

Would he? Could he still be…? Yukihito-kun lo-cared for her deeply, but friends, especially best friends, cared a lot about each other. But he implied that the lo-care was different than that so it was dangerous. Not for her. She had no doubt she would ever fall in love, even with such a great guy like Yukihito-kun. But Yukihito-kun's heart might break. Then again even with the obvious rejection of his confession he didn't look heartbroken so maybe Kyoko was thinking too much of herself, thinking she could influence a man's heart so much as to break it, especially Yukihito-san's. He probably only thought he was in love with Kyoko when he really loved Higema-hime* and got confu…

"We need to get to the next job, Kyoko. If we don't leave now, we'll be late, and your record will be broken. We have to get to the Kimegakure taping. And then we have to go meet with Director Date about the mafia wife role…"

The list continued, her feet automatically matched in step with his, and she suddenly felt as if the moment in the secluded TBM corridor had never occurred. She could easily write it off as the results of her lala drugs. Maybe it really had not happened after all.

* * *

*Her policewoman role. She added hime to better like the character, like she did with Natsu.


	3. Rivals and Love

_Lust_

After four days of painstaking planning, Kanae had finally cornered her target. She had locked the door of the lounge behind her to prevent even the thought of escape.

"You're an idiot."

"I know," he said, fixing his glasses. "She took it much better than I thought she would though."

"That's because she thinks that it was all some sort of weirdness thought up by that brain of hers. Mo! Why is she so dense?"

"Well, she wouldn't be Kyoko if she wasn't…"

"And you!" She jabbed her finger in his direction. "You helped! Why the heck did you confess to her and then pretend it didn't happen? Do you want to lose to _him_?"

"No," he said, "but I don't want to hurt her. If I pushed too fast, I would confuse her more. Not that I think doing next to nothing is wise so a half-forgotten confession is the best I can come up with."

"Then think of something better! If you don't _he'll_ take her away!"

"Would that be so bad?"

Kanae froze and stared at him. What was wrong with this man! Did he have Kyoko-like confidence issues?

"No," said Yashiro. Drat, she had said that last part out loud. "I just want her to be happy."

"Happy! You would let _him_ take her away, because if she's happy then you're happy? You're a coward if you're using that as an excuse. You love her, don't you?"

"Who said I'd be happy?" he said, his eyes gazing firmly into her. "I'm not saying I want her to be happy as an excuse. I want her to be happy with me. But if she wants Ren, then should I force her to be with me? _Make_ her love me? I don't use her happiness as an excuse but as an end. If I did anything less, would I truly love her, Kotonami-chan?"

"Mo! You're both frustrating!" she cried after a moment of speechlessness. "Do whatever you want."

As Kanae unlocked the door and marched into the hallway she knew one thing for sure. She had placed her confidence in the right man.

_Misery_

"Kyoko," he said with his most devious smile, yanking her attention from the rock music video, "I know how to really get back at him."

* * *

Sho stares at the genuine, bright smile. Seven months and nothing. Not one work-related meeting, not one chance encounter, nothing. Ever since that idiot manager started working with her, he hadn't seen her at all, and then this?

"Shotaro," she said softly, as if to catch his drifting attention. "Did you hear me? I said thank you."

"I heard you! What the heck are you thanking me for?"

"For your help, of course," she said. "If you hadn't brought me to Tokyo with you and then dumped me, I wouldn't be the actress I am today. I won't ever thank you in public, like an awards show or anything, but I thought you should know."

He stared at her in a sort of stupor. He almost didn't notice when she looked back as her manager and the manager's encouraging thumbs-up. Her smile turned gentler, and she took a quick bow and said a short goodbye. Sho watched as she all but skipped toward that idiot manager. No! He reached forward to grab her, to cement his presence once more in her heart. And suddenly he couldn't move. Merciless hazel eyes trapped his own. No, it is not that Sho could not move, it is that he would not dare. This man would do…what would he do? Sho had no idea what this guy would do, and really what could that guy do? Sho'd just push the idiot away and…

They were gone, halfway down the studio boarding an elevator. He sprinted towards it, but the doors closed before he could take a few steps. She was gone.

_Pity_

He slid in next to Kotonami. Sipping her drink, she met his questioning gaze with feigned indifference.

"She's been staring at the screen since she got here," she answered his nonverbal question. He looked up at the TV. A random variety show was running, definitely not anything that would normally catch Kyoko's eye.

"Kyoko," he said, trying to catch her attention. "I love you."

"Hm?" she said turning back to him. "What did you say, Yukihito-san?"

"The president has approved of the Yuki no Fujiwara role."

"Oh," she said vaguely. Both her friends stared at her nonresponse. She had both wanted and didn't want the role. It was her first offer for a mainly romantic role, and she wanted to reject it because she did not yet have her emotion of love and had decided she would never again fall into that kind of love. But the role was of a noblewoman, a regal rich young lady, almost a princess. And that alone made her struggle against herself. She didn't want to do it, but she did. She couldn't do it, but perhaps she could try, _if_ the president gave approval. Or so the conclusion was after both Kotonami and Yashiro had calmed Kyoko down enough to think straight, and then only because they had convinced her that the president would _never_ give permission. But he had. And she didn't care.

"What's wrong, Kyoko?"

"It worked…" she barely breathed.

"Worked? What worked?" asked Kotonami.

"Shotaro's number two on the charts…"

"Yes, yes. And the announcer said he was predicted to fell farther down the charts. A real pity," said Kotonami.

"I see," said Yashiro, a smile blooming on his face. "Men like him thrive on attention. By thanking him, you have acknowledged he is out of your mind. And he can't stand being beneath anyone's notice, especially yours."

"I didn't think it would work," she said persistently. Yashiro wasn't surprised her mind had completely skipped over the "especially yours" part. "I didn't mean it…"

"You're an actress," said Kotonami. "If you couldn't fool an amateur like him, you wouldn't be my rival."

"B-but it worked. Why did it work?"

"The why isn't important," said Yashiro. He knew she wouldn't understand the why even now, but she was getting closer. He hoped. "It worked."

"Yes. It did," she said more firmly. A wide warm smile filled her eyes and face. "Thank you, Yukihito-san."

He blinked. Yashiro knew one thing for sure. She shouldn't use that smile so carelessly.

_Pride_

It happened one week before Valentine's Day. He appeared out of nowhere and demanded chocolate, and she reacted exactly as he expected. She yelled and protested. Her manager tried to dismiss him and take her away. Unfortunately for the manager, Reino was not so easily dissuaded, and after complimenting the manager on his interesting aura, the Vie Ghoul lead singer continued to pester Kyoko.

"You should be used to it by now. I expect homemade chocolate from Kyoko on Valentine's Day."

"Expect?" asked the manager a darkness entering his eyes. The darkness caught Reino's attention. "Why should you expect homemade chocolate from an extremely successful actress?"

"It's tradition," Reino replied flatly. "She made me special chocolates last year, and the year before that."

"You forced me, you kidnapper! Those chocolates were full of hate! I would never make anything willingly for you!"

"Kyoko made chocolates for you," said the manager dazed. Suddenly, Reino focused his full attention on the man.

"Yes."

The man's shoulders slumped confirming Reino's suspicion, and Kyoko quickly noticed.

"Yukihito-san, don't believe him! This man really did force me! I wouldn't make him chocolates this year. I'll even make chocolates for Shotaro before this dork. You don't have to worry about m—"

"I expect it on the day this year," said Reino, forcing her attention back on him. "If not…"

He let the words hang, lifting a little spirit so she could see it. Her eyes widened, and she lunged, attempting to free it. He sidestepped her, and whispered a warning in her ear while locking eyes with her manager.

"And write 'love' on it this time."

_Rage_

Ren ignored the side glances. Adam did not need to know why Ren had suddenly decided to return to Japan a whole 2 months earlier than planned. Yes, they would have to return to finish the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 5, but Ren did not have a big enough role that he could not take a trip back to his home country. And he had to return now.

His grip tightened around his cell phone. Yashiro had called. As of the last few months, their conversations had been strained, but Ren could still hear traces of the manager's original concern and worry for his "hopeless little brother." But the manager had not called since the Kuon revelation. Ren knew he should have made the first step, but every time he had tried, he remembered that Yashiro was probably with _her_ and in anger had snapped his phone shut. But when Yashiro had finally called him, the manager had reported his failure. Yashiro had admitted that he could not protect Kyoko, not from that beagle stalker of hers. And so he had called Ren in, begged the actor to be in Japan before the 14th. Ren's face had stretched into a gentleman-like smile as he said he would be right there.

_Regret_

When Kyoko had first seen Tsuruga-san, she had felt relieved. Then she had felt guilty for even thinking about asking him for help right after he had come home. Before she could say anything though, Tsuruga-san had smiled, and the sparkles had made her freeze. She had managed to mutter out apologies about giving in to the beagle, twice and so the Demon Lord had not appeared. Valentine's Day had come and gone, and the beagle had not appeared. Kyoko had made Tsuruga-san a special wine jelly as a thank you.

For a while, Kyoko couldn't have been happier. She got to ask Tsuruga-san for help and see him act in person. She now knew that no kohai could have been blessed with a better sempai. But soon she started to notice that every time she was with Tsuruga-san, Yukihito-san would excuse himself and go to take care of something. If she hadn't been so happy, she would have noticed his absence before. When she thought back, the manager has always tried to excuse himself, but only after the three of them talking together first. Kyoko had always been used to Yukihito-san being there when she talked with Tsuruga-san, and the three of them talking. But he left almost immediately after Tsuruga-san appeared. And Tsuruga-san did nothing to stop his former manager. And she found that she missed her manager. Yukihito-san should be there. Talking to Tsuruga-san without Yukihito-san felt…weird. Though she didn't know why, because she had talked to Tsuruga-san a lot without Yukihito-san, but when Yukihito-san was there, the manager should stay, at least for a little while. She liked talking to two of her favorite people at the same time. Finally, she got the two men together at the same time. Her anger antenna went wild. She didn't try again.


	4. The End of Love

_Remorse_

Ren wondered how soon he should step in and save Adam. Honestly, he probably should have interrupted as soon as he saw the situation, but he had hesitated. Part of him wanted to know how the scene played out, and part of him simply wanted to avoid Adam's tormentor.

"He needs more than half an hour for dinner and he won't eat anything healthy if you limit his lunch time to 15 minutes. Certainly you've picked up on this in the last _seven_ months you've been with him. If you ever meet Kyoko with this sort of schedule, you'll get more than an earful. Fix it."

"Yashiro-san," Adam started in halting Japanese. "Ren ask for less eating time. He eat as he goes."

"And you make sure of this?" asked Yashiro. The man had brain enough to forgo lying and simply shake his head. Yashiro's gaze turned icy.

"I would prefer if you didn't traumatize my manager, Yashiro-san," said Ren finally making his presence known. His former manager stiffened a little, before locking gazes with Ren.

"I wouldn't have to traumatize him if he did his job correctly," said Yashiro, his tone resembling the frozen tundra. "What did you eat today?"

"I ate what I needed to, Yashiro-san."

"I am sure both Kyoko and I have told you that rice balls are _not_ food."

"It's none of your concern, is it?" asked Ren after a slight pause. Yashiro knew him too well.

"Yes," said Adam. "My job, not yours."

"_And my job is to make sure my actress doesn't get to upset,"_ said Yashiro in English. Ren stared at his former manager. _"And Mr. Hizuri will definitely upset her if she catches wind of his terrible eating schedule."_

"_Yukihito-san?"_ said a new voice in an English tone. _"What's going on?"_

"_I was just discussing the finer points of being a manager with Mr. Adam,"_ said Yashiro, still in English.

"_You speak English?"_ asked Adam, looking between Yashiro and Kyoko.

"_We've been learning intensively for months,"_ said Kyoko. _"How do we sound?"_

"_You're English's almost flawless."_

"_Really,"_ beamed Kyoko. _"Did you hear that Yukihito-san? You did it!"_

"_Yes,"_ Yashiro answered smiling. _"We did."_

An barely bridled heat settled in Ren's chest. He wanted to reach forward and yank Kyoko's attention away and dissolve those matching smiles.

"Huzuri-san," said Yashiro, directing Ren's attention to himself. Ren paused and bit his inner lip. Both Adam and Kyoko were looking at him with great caution. Hazel eyes then gripped and held his own. "I have to go talk something over with the president. Please try and arrange with your manager to change those times, or else I might let slip something to our mutual acquaintance. Kyoko, I'll be back in about ten minutes."

Kyoko nodded, her eyes still warily watching Ren. Ren sighed. He pinned up his smile and readied his excuses while wishing for only one thing: that Yashiro were still his manager.

_Sadness_

Peeking behind the corner of the building, Maria caught sight of their target.

"Do I have to wear this?" asked her current partner.

"Nee-san wore it when we were helping you," said Maria. Moko-san's face twisted into distaste, but Maria ignored her. "I've spotted the Butterfly."

"How did I not spot you in these clothes?" asked Moko-san.

"Quiet or she'll see us."

"I might as well have worn my Love Me uniform," the woman mumbled.

"I see someone else!" Maria whispered in excitement before deflating. It was only Yashiro-san.

"Why are we doing this again?" asked Moko-san. Maria whipped her head back and glared at the woman.

"Something's making Nee-san sad and we're going to find out what!"

"I could just ask her," said Moko-san. "Just one threat of not speaking to her for a year will open her mouth wide."

Maria blinked. She hadn't thought of that plan. She shrugged. It wasn't as interesting as this one.

"What is he doing?" Moko hissed. The little girl watched as Yashiro-san and Kyoko passed by without even glancing at them. "Mo! Why is he putting that sort of face on? Does he want her to make her worry!"

"Hm?" asked Maria, peering closely at Yashiro-san's face. "What are you taking about, Moko-san?"

"How can you not see that! The man's face looks totally fake. Anyone with eyes can see it!"

"Fake? He looked pretty happy to me."

"That's 'cause you're a kid," said Moko-san, putting her face in her hand. "Mo! They're so frustrating."

"Is he why Nee-san's so upset lately," said Maria in a sickeningly sweet voice. She had a few curses she could try if that was the case. Moko-san froze and then stared at Maria with something akin to horror.

"You really are that girl's little sister," the woman mumbled before smiling at Maria and saying firmly, "No. He's not making her sad at all. He's very efficient as her manager."

"Really?" said Maria, her voice subdued. Maybe she could curse him just in case?

_Shame_

Some lay dead or dying. Some were nursing their wounds. The rest were frozen in shock and fear. Finally one of the leaders spoke up.

"How dare he?" she yelled, stirring the others from their reverie. "We trusted him!"

"We let him near us!" yelled another.

"How dare he do this!" said another one.

"Especially after last time!" said yet another.

"And then declare that he loves us!" yelled the first. "He's lying! Love is a lie!"

"Yes, yes," the others chanted.

"No! Love isn't a lie!" protested a pure one. The grudges glared at the newcomer, but she stood firm. "And we are loved."

"It's a lie, just like the other one!"

"Sho never said he loved us," said another pure one.

"But we all know he thought he did after he saw us in all our greatness," said the head grudge, crossing her arms with a look of twisted pleasure. "And we keep that knowledge safe from her, in the box."

"But it's her that he's done this too," said the pure. "She should decide."

"Decide? That's what she made us for! And we're going to avoid him like the plague he is and seal this memory in the box!"

"But he's Corn!"

"So? We've gotten better confessions than that one. Stealing her first real kiss!"

"Actually," said a new voice, "that was already stolen by dork number one. This boy in man's clothes convinced our Kyoko that it didn't count, though apparently he did it so that he could steal the first himself."

"Natsu-hime!" cried the pure. "Did you get it?"

"Yes," said the floating acting spirit, a canister in her disembodied hand. "And you wouldn't believe where I found it."

"How'd you get that!" yelled the head grudge.

"Where'd you find it, Natsu-hime?" asked the pure, recognizing the dangerously playful tone in Natsu's voice.

"Under the head grudge's pillow," she said coyly. "And it seems much more full than we expected."

"Head! I thought you put that memory in the box!" piped one of the other grudges.

"Yeah! It's too dangerous to leave lying around boss. And if the others are in there too…why would you do that boss?" asked another grudge.

"My guess is that she takes it out and looks at them every so often," said Natsu. The head grudge flickered from dark to slightly pink.

"G-get it back you fools!" yelled the head grudge, and all the others stopped staring at her and charged towards Natsu. They were blown back.

"You wouldn't be trying to get your grubby hands on something that isn't yours," said Mio, her whole silhouette being present before shrinking back into an oblong spirit. "What horrible manners."

"Yeah, keep back! This is Kyoko's and we're going to return it to her!" yelled Kuon floating in next to Mio.

"Shouldn't you be on Corn's side?" yelled a random grudge.

"The Ren fan," mumbled one of the other grudges.

"Yeah. Struck with the heavenly smile remnants. Never been the same since," whispered another.

"Corn? Why should I be on a plant's side?"

"He means Kuon," corrected Natsu, bored.

"I am on my side. But I'm on Kyoko's side too, and Kyoko needs to know this. Without it she won't make Outosan proud!"

"Enough! Squadrons one through five, attack Mio. Squadrons six through ten, get through and surround Natsu. I'll grab the canister!" yelled the head grudge.

"What about me!" yelled Kuon.

"You're not much of a threat," said Natsu. "But I don't see why they would be attacking any of us. We don't have anything they want."

"What? Where's the canister?" cried the head grudge, trying to spot the dangerous object.

"Over here," sing-songed the pure one. She reached for the canisters paper seal.

"No!" cried all the grudges rushing to her.

"Too late," said the pure Kyoko as she tore off the seal and let the memory fly.

_Sorrow_

She froze. Or she had about five minutes ago. The problem was she had stayed frozen. Ren cursed inwardly. He had never meant…but her concerned voice, her eyes constantly flickering to the half-open door where _he_ had left; Ren could not stop himself. Kuon had come out, and his actions had led to those accursed three words and long-awaited lips meeting. Only when her face had taken that blank look had Ren managed to regain control. But he had no idea how to undo the damage letting Kuon loose had caused.

"Mogami-san," he started, leaning closer to her.

"I-I'm the unique something," she suddenly whispered, causing his whole body to jerk to a stop. Her amber eyes met his currently blue ones. "And you're his friend."

"Whose friend?" asked Ren. "What are you talking about Mogami-san?"

She shook her head and backed away from him. His heart squeezed the air from his lungs. She continued to stare at him with a mixture of comprehension and horror. Blinking, her eyes glazed in some twisted form of a hopeful expression.

"Y-you l-l-l-love me, Tsuruga-san?"

The formal title made his heart squeeze his lungs tighter. He nodded. A shadow passed over her face and took residence there. Her eyes fell.

"You love me," she said, her voice ragged and a note away from despair. "I'm the high school girl. I'm the one you were thinking about as Katsuki. And I never…"

She stopped. Her eyes lifted to meet his once more.

"I might have loved you," she said, and his heart stole all his breath. "Back with Cain and Setsu and even before but…I couldn't. Not then."

"And now," he said. She shook her head.

"I didn't know," she said, pleadingly. "You left, and I didn't know. And he…he asked. He looked so sad, and he said…I let him. He would never have if I hadn't. Please understand, Tsuruga-san. It wasn't his fault. And then he told me he loved me and let me forget it." The words became more like audible thoughts. "A-and I forgot it. He said it a lot, and I forgot. When I wasn't paying attention or too low for me to hear. And he…and he showed me too. He helped me and took care of Shotaro and even called you when beagle…even though he knew you loved me…and…and..."

Silence settled. Kyoko's gaze had long left his and met with the half-open door again. He looked at the half opened door. His heart loosened its grip and dropped.

"Go," he said, catching her attention again. She cocked her head questioningly at him. He dredged up the worst excuse for a smile an actor could ever produce. "Go to him."

Her eyes widened, and she quickly looked between him and the door. With her own terrible excuse for a smile, she bowed and made for the door.

"Kyoko," he said, the name escaping his lips like a dying breath. She turned back towards him, that smile still on her face. "Tell him he's a better manager than Adam."

Her smile brightened, and she bowed again, this time more energetically. She almost skipped out the door. He closed his eyes and turned away.

_Shyness_

All of a sudden, she couldn't look at him. A heat would flood her cheeks, and her eyes couldn't hold his for any length of time. Her hands shook, and she wanted nothing more than to stay next to him and run very far away very fast.

"Kyoko? Is something wrong? Weren't you with Ren?" asked Yashiro.

"Y-yes, b-but he…he told me to find you." Kyoko wondered why the words were coming out wrong.

"Really? Does he need something?"

"U-um…h-he told me to t-tell you that you're a better manager than Adam-san…"

"R-really," said Yukihito-san, the word stumbling out of his mouth. She chanced a look at his face and saw his eyes shifting and shadowing. "T-that's kind of him to say."

"Y-yukihito-san," she started, her eyes sliding off him. "I-I n-need t-to …"

"It's okay," he said, his eyes hidden behind a growingly familiar smile. "We need to be at L&L studio in half an hour, so you can go back and talk to him. You don't have to rush."

"N-no," she said, the heat invading her cheeks again. A terrible thought occurred to her, and she stopped short of saying anything else. Ever since Ren had come back, Kyoko couldn't recall an instance where Yashiro said those three special words. Before he used to say it often when she wasn't paying attention or could ignore him. He let his love slide into a forgotten side of her mind, waiting for her to recognize and remember it. But now that she remembered those words, did he still want to say them? "I-it's okay. W-we can go now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, for some odd reason feeling her lips stretch across her face. He looked so worried. "Let's go."

"A-alright," he said, a light red coloring his face. Strangely, it disappeared and he flashed his sad-but-trying-to-be-happy smile. "Let's go."

_Suffering_

He was going to kill them! Who did they think they were, dancing around like that! Three weeks and nothing!

"I'm sure they'll figure it out soon, president."

The president sunk into the couch and glared at the man resting on his lounge chair. The man and woman on the television continued to talk about nothing in particular.

"Why?" asked the president, watching the hidden camera footage with one eye. "Are you planning to do something stupid like leaving and coming back and _then_ kissing her without warning?"

"President," said Ren, the shadows around him darkening. "Please don't."

"I should thank you for that kiss, though. It's the most progress she's had in months. It was a good move for her although it was a _stupid_ move for you."

"Enough," said Ren, his tone below zero and his eyes dark and deadly.

"So you didn't get the girl," said the president, unaffected by the younger man's deathly glare. "Get over it. She's not the only fish in the sea."

"I know," answered the young man, the sharpness disappearing back under the miasma. "But there's only one Kyoko."

"True. But you blew it. So get. Over. It."

"Why do you insist on tormenting me by making me watch them?"

"Because misery loves company," said Lory. "That, and the sooner you get over it, the sooner I can get to helping you find love again."

"I suppose it wouldn't make any difference if I asked you keep out of it…."

"Sure it would," said Lory. "I would be more subtle in my methods."

Lory grinned as a look of utter dread crept on to Ren's face.

"Please, president, meddle in my love life," said the actor in a deep tone.

"I'm glad I have your approval," said Lory. He turned back to the screen. "Now what shall I do with you two."

_Surprise_

"The president sent you a new assignment?" asked Chiori. Kotonami had closed her locker door and turned her head towards Chiori and the recipient of the question. Kyoko's eyes shrunk, and her smile widened.

"He just wants me to do something for another actor," answered Kyoko, the smile gleaming brightly. Chiori had never seen that smile on Kyoko before. It looked really cute and really fake.

"The president gave you a Love Me assignment?" asked Kotonami.

"Yes. I have to help another actor."

"You already said that," said Chiori.

"**Kyoko**," started Kotonami, a dark aura surrounding her. "**What did the president want?**"

"I need to help another actor," Kyoko answered, the smile not faltering. Kotonami scoffed.

"Fine! If you don't want to tell me, I'll not talk to you for the next month," she said, slamming her locker shut and heading for the door. She added, over her shoulder, "and that means you can't come to lunch with me and Yashiro tomorrow."

"No! Wait, Moko!" yelled Kyoko, the smile gone. She was on the other side of the room in a flash clinging to Kotonami. "Please! I'll tell you everything!"

"What's wrong, Kyoko?" asked Chiori, looking between the two other Love Me members. Kyoko looked at her as if the older girl had completely forgotten about Chiori's presence. "What does the president want you to do?"

"It's nothing you have to concern yourself with, Chiori-chan," said Kyoko, the smile back on her face. Chiori knew that Kotonami had been with Kyoko longer, but for Kyoko to completely and blatantly push Chiori away…. It made her want to grab her notebook. Instead, she smiled a Yumika smile and picked up the envelope Kyoko had dropped in her dash across the room.

"So you won't mind if I read it then," she said, opening the envelope. Suddenly, she found she could not move.

"Don't read it," said a voice in the air. Even her eyes were frozen as she felt that she couldn't turn to see what was whispering in her ear. "It will scar your eyes for life."

"It will make you want to hide under the bed and never come out again," said another invisible voice.

"Your skin will crawl at the first word," said another dark, dark voice.

"You'll never be the same again."

"Fine, fine, I won't read it! Let me go! Let me go!" she yelled. She almost fell forward as she realized she could move again.

"Idiot!" said Kotonami, holding the smaller girl by her collar. "Don't make her call up the kanashibari. If you wanted to come with us, why not just ask?"

"I'm sorry, Chiori-chan, but it's not good for you to read this with your heart unprepared," said Kyoko, genuine concern in her eyes. "It almost did me in when I read it."

"Come on," said Kotonami, releasing Chiori's collar. "If we go now, we can get the usual room."

Kyoko just nodded, her head barely lifting as she held the envelope as if it was a death sentence. The two made it for the door before turning around.

"Come on," said Kotonami, glaring at Chiori. "We need to leave now."

Chiori noticed her eyelids were stretched wide as she nodded and followed after the two.

_Wonder_

"Y-Yukihito-san." The word caught Yashiro's attention immediately. The tone made Yashiro extremely glad that he was parking. Whatever Kyoko was going to say would require his full attention. "T-the president gave me an a-assignment…"

"What is it?" he asked as calmly as possible. Inside, he was terrified. He knew the last few assignments were too tame for the president.

"I-I…Yukihito-san…" she stumbled and her voice dropped into the inaudible range. Her face darkened further and further in nervousness.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko, but I didn't understand that."

Grumbling in a way that would make anyone else think she was plotting someone's doom, she pulled out an envelope. Yashiro took the bright pink envelope and took a second to adjust. The envelope was gaudier than usual. He opened it, and the sight paralyzed him for a full second before he got the courage to close it again. That shade of pink should be banned from the color wheel. No one should ever know it exist, let alone see it. Yashiro looked at Kyoko, hoping the girl would tell him what was on the paper. Pleading amber eyes made him look back down at the envelope. Closing his eyes with a sigh, he yanked the paper out and threw the envelope on the floor. He opened his eyes and almost at once shut them again. No, he had to open them again. Kyoko would not make him do this if she could have simply told him what it was. Vaguely, he wondered if it was too late to make Kyoko switch agencies. Peeking, he scanned the paper. The pink nearly ate his vision, but the silver and gold letters almost made him want to cry. The president had to be colorblind to create this…

"Kyoko," he said slowly. "Is this a graduation certificate?"

She nodded, and he closed his eyes as he picked up the envelope and stuffed the certificate back in.

"He said I no longer have to be part of the Love Me section," she whispered.

"W-why?" he asked, a thousand scenarios going through his head.

"Because," she said, her voice dropping almost too low, "I love you…"

Yashiro stared at her. He blinked. He blinked again. She was still there.

"You love me?" The question tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"I'm sorry!" she cried suddenly, bowing deeply. "I wouldn't have done what the president said, but Moko said if the president said I should graduate by doing this then I should and that Yukihito-san wouldn't mind hearing it since I heard his and even Chiori agreed, and even if I said that it would make things awkward since I forgot all the times you told me you loved me and now that I love you, you don't love me anymore and…"

"Who said that?"

"Moko said…and the president said…" Her head perked up, tilted, and looked at him, though her body remained in the bow. "U-um, I'm sorry. Said what?"

"That I don't love you."

"Oh. Well, no one said that, but you stopped saying it after Tsuruga-san came so…"

"I stopped saying it because I thought you were falling in love with him, and I didn't want to get in the way. But, Kyoko, I still love you."

The words held in the air, and for an instant, Yashiro thought that they had disappeared into some dark corner of her brain again. That they would be forgotten and disappear. But then she looked at the floor again, and he caught a glimpse of her reddened skin.

"Y-you love me?" her voice squeaked. He stepped forward, put his hand under her chin, lifted her head, and forced her amber, shimmering eyes to meet his.

"Yes."

_Worry_

"She'll be here at any moment, Kuu dear."

"And so will he," said the tall blonde actor, his normally kind blue eyes sharpening to steel blue.

"Yes," said Julie, worried for the poor young man that was coming with their "second son." Over the last year, Julie had come to know the girl through her jobs. Anything that had Kyoko in it made its way into Kuu's hands courtesy of Lory. Of course, Julie had fallen in love with the girl soon after being "introduced" and had only come to love her more in the infrequent phone conversations that Kuu just had to have with the girl. So Julie had fully endorsed Kuon's intention to court the girl. The fact that her Kuon had failed had surprised the world class actress. She wondered what kind of man could steal such a girl away from _the_ Ren Tsuruga, _the_ Kuon Hizuri.

When she had heard it was the girl's manager, her own son's former manager, Julie had not known what to think. Part of her wanted to rail against the man's betrayal of her son, while another part of her acknowledged love was at least partially uncontrollable. Kuu, on the other hand, could barely control himself. Not because Kuon's heart had been denied, no, the manager should thank God Kuu had no clue about that. Kuu was mad that someone dare make a move on his "second son."

"Sir, Madam, they're here," said a servant.

"Let them in, Layla," said Julie before her husband could make another comment about their male guest. The maid bowed slightly and made for the door in an excited hurry. Julie abruptly remembered that Layla was actually quite a Kyoko fan after Kyoko's American debut three months ago. Hopefully the maid would remain professional. She turned to her husband. "Now remember, he is not only Kyoko's boyfriend but Kuon's friend. So both our sons' sake, please control yourself."

Kuu grumbled something Julie was probably glad was unintelligible. The doors opened, and the couple walked in. The girl-no, she really was a woman now-had a glow that radiated from her eyes and curved her mouth. Julie could not see much of them since they were glued to the young man next to Kyoko. And his eyes, a similar glow lighting them, were locked on her. At least until Kuu cleared his throat.

"_Chichi_!" Kyoko cried, letting the man's arm go as she hurried towards Kuu. Kuu's face softened.

"Kyoko," he said, sweeping the girl into a sudden hug. He glared at the young man over Kyoko's shoulder. Letting Kyoko and his glare go, he held Kyoko at arm's length and inspected her. He nodded and proceeded to scold her. "You've been in the US for over six months. You shouldn't wait so long to visit your parents!"

"I'm sorry, _Chichi_, but we were in New York and California was a lot farther away than I thought."

"We aren't on an island anymore," said the young man, earning himself another glare. Suddenly, Julie realized that she couldn't remember the young man's name, not that they had ever been formally introduced but…

"Kyoko, dear," said Julie, "who is this you've brought with you?"

"Didn't _Chichi_ tell you, _Maman_?" asked Kyoko, using the name which Julie had spent over a year convincing the younger woman was okay to use.

"He seems to have neglected to mention him," Julie said. His name at least.

Kyoko's face brightened, and she almost skipped back to the young man's side. She wrapped an arm in his and put her head on his shoulder.

"_Maman_, _Chichi_, this is Yashiro Yukihito, my fiancé."


End file.
